A Case of the Gimmies
by Solo Ensemble
Summary: Spinelli and Cameron help Jason get the perfect Christmas gift for Elizabeth. Sappy and stuff.
1. Chapter 1

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

**What You Need To Know** – _Everything holds true until the morning after the blackout. Jason refused to forgive Sam and did not reunite with her. Lucky tried everything to get Elizabeth to understand why he did what he did, but she had already decided that enough was enough. She found out that she was pregnant and Lucky and Jason both 'accidentally' found out. She kept quiet until the paternity test and then told them the truth. Lucky cut his ties with her (it was not an amicable parting) and Jason stepped up. Everything else will be told in the story._

**A Case of the Gimme's**

The wrapping paper up on the top shelf mocked him every time he opened the closet door, reminding him that he had two days left until Christmas and had somehow still not found a gift for Elizabeth.

Jason sighed as he pulled a sweater out of his closet and quickly shut the door on the leering cellophane wrap. (Could cellophane leer?) Two days left. Well, not even. The hospital's Christmas party was tomorrow, so that entire day would be shot wandering the halls with Cameron while Elizabeth worked, trying to dodge his parents and so on. Christmas Eve would be spent reading Cameron stories about an old man that stuffed himself down chimney flues once a year and keeping Spinelli from setting the tree on fire with his joints and then, if he was extremely fortunate, the later hours would be spent curled up on the couch in front of the fire with Elizabeth.

But at this rate, he wasn't going to hold his breath.

The gift had to be perfect, and that was why he'd spent so damn long procrastinating. He'd given her gifts before, but never a real, honest-to-goodness Christmas gift. He'd given her a piece of red glass, a postcard, a baseball bat (a _baseball bat_? What was he thinking?!), and a leather jacket. In fact, the leather jacket was probably the closest he'd ever gotten to a real gift.

He could have asked Sonny, but his best friend would undoubtedly turn the whole thing into a huge production. Sonny knew first-hand that Jason had been thrilled to learn Elizabeth's child was his; he was the only one that knew that the night of the blackout hadn't been about just sex.

Jason Morgan had fallen for Elizabeth Webber that night in the dimly lit penthouse. And he'd fallen hard.

Perhaps he was fated to exist this way – trapped in a state of _fin amour_ with no reciprocation. This was the second time that he'd fallen this hard for Elizabeth, knowing the whole while that she didn't return his feelings. The two of them were stuck in a cycle, and he hoped – fervently, desperately hoped – that this time would be different. They'd be a family this time.

Elizabeth just didn't know that yet.

He passed Spinelli's room and was relieved when he didn't hear any of his houseguest's college rock or smell any pot. If he could get out of the penthouse without being stopped by the little chaser, he'd be good.

He had to be at Elizabeth's apartment in exactly twenty minutes. He'd show up, grab Cameron as Elizabeth headed off to work, and the two of them would spend the day together. Elizabeth had been thrilled when Jason offered the little boy a respite from the crowded daycare center at GH, not knowing that the enforcer had ulterior motives. If anyone knew what his mother wanted, it would be Cameron. And Jason wasn't above admitting that he'd happily take advantage of a little boy to get to his mother's heart.

He descended the steps quickly and grabbed his jacket and his keys, now trying to imagine what information Cameron would feed him. Did his mom want jewelry? New art supplies? A cashmere blanket or a new dress? A trip abroad? What?

Jason shook his head briskly, growing frustrated with himself. He hadn't ever spent this much time and effort worrying about presents. It had been different before. With Robin, it was much different. She never wanted anything from him, and when he did buy her gifts, they were spontaneous and heartfelt. He knew she wasn't after the latest fashion trends and she didn't care about the number on the price tag. She just appreciated the thought, just like Elizabeth.

Carly, Courtney and Sam were different. They had ruined gift-buying for him. For Carly, gifts had to be flashy. Fur coats, matching cell phones, a new car, and the list went on. The good thing about her was that she usually told him what she wanted, leaving him with the single responsibility of signing the check. And even when she didn't tell him, all he had to do was go to Wyndham's and ask for the most expensive thing they had and he couldn't go wrong.

For Courtney, the gifts had to be frequent. She didn't demand that they be expensive, just that they be presented to her at regular intervals. He could get away with a stuffed animal first and an tennis bracelet later; she was fine as long as he kept presenting her with little items that showed her she was always on his mind.

Sam had been a combination of the two. Growing up poor and on the run had taught her that all that glittered was indeed gold – and what was more, she wanted it. She expected regular gifts, and expensive ones. Usually, she just took him shopping and pointed to everything she wanted, and all he had to do was swipe his card through the machine. This happened about once every two weeks, and he had never in his entire life loathed anything more than those bi-monthly trips to the New York department stores.

Elizabeth, like Robin, wasn't impressed with such things. She never had been. She'd been thrilled with the postcard, made ecstatic by the glass, and hell, she even loved the baseball bat. His money didn't impress her, which was a double-edged sword. It meant that he had to work twice as hard to actually impress her.

She had told him once that he was the most original gift-giver she knew, but that wasn't going to help him this time around. He couldn't come up with a damn thing. Everything was either too big or too small, too flashy or too banal, too cheesy or too bizarre. And this year's gift had to be absolutely perfect – it had to be.

She had given him a baby for Christmas. He had to give her something special as well, and while nothing would quite compare with the pattering feet soon to be in his penthouse, he had to at least try. His gift had to show her, in all the ways he couldn't, that he wanted her. That he wanted her to be with him and he wanted to raise their children together and he wanted everything she could give him and more.

He only hoped that Cameron would know what that something was.

"Going somewhere?"

Jason cringed when he heard Spinelli and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, the kid was just coming out of the kitchen with some kind of breakfast pastry in his hand and he was spewing crumbs everywhere. Damn kid. "What the hell are you eating?"

"Pop-tart," came the instant answer, and Spinelli broke off a piece for him. "Want to try some? Here – bite. Bite. Bite?"

Jason shook his head, pulling away when Spinelli tried to cram it in his mouth. "No – no, stop that. Aren't you supposed to be at the coffee shop today? I thought Sonny put you to work."

"Oh, Mister Corinthos-Sir did," he nodded, wolfing down half the tart in one go. "But then I installed _Zork Zero_ on his office computer during my lunch break so I could, you know, bash the crud out of Lord Dimwit Flathead the Excessive and stuff, but then the whole thing spazzed out and I ended up deleting his delivery schedule for the next two months and he kicked me out. He told me to go help you for a week."

He was going to kill him. It was settled: Sonny would die.

"I don't need any help," Jason said firmly, pocketing his keys.

"He said to follow you around, be your shadow" Spinelli recited, and Jason had the sick feeling that his best friend was trying to pay him back for unleashing the Jackal on their organization. "So I'm all yours – do with me what you will."

"Tempting," Jason muttered, pulling a few bills out of his wallet and shoving them into Spinelli's hand. "Here – go see a _Star War_ or something."

But he just pocketed the bills and looked up at him with that sick, puppy dog look of total adoration – really, that was getting damn annoying – and shook his head. "No can do, Stone Cold. I was told by Mister Corinthos-Sir to follow you around and learn stuff. Teach me, Master. I am an empty vessel."

"At least you admit it," Jason muttered, watching sullenly as the kid grabbed his jacket and shrugged into it. "But if you're going to follow me, there are a few rules."

"Rule away, your Highness."

"One, I don't want to hear you. You keep your mouth shut and only speak when I speak to you. Two, I don't want to see you. You walk behind me at all times. Three, I'm…picking up Cameron so you better be on your _best _behavior. No swearing or talking about hacking or offering him pot-"

"Oh, we're going to Nightingale's place?" Spinelli's face lit up instantly as Jason's expression soured. "Dude! Yes! I love her place – did you know she always has Snickerdoodles in the cookie jar? Last time I was there, I ate, like, twenty of them-"

"No cookies," Jason added, pushing Spinelli out the door. "That's rule number four."

* * *

From the minute he had met Port Charles's resident sweetheart, Damien Spinelli had been smitten. Elizabeth Webber was delicate, sweet, mild-mannered, accomplished, compassionate, funny, and clean – needless to say, there weren't many women like her in Spinelli's circles.

He followed her around like a puppy, practically drooling as she told him about the day's events at the hospital, and listened intently to all of her stories. The only time Jason saw Spinelli actually shut his mouth was when he was around Elizabeth. And Elizabeth in turn adored Spinelli. She doted on him, was always pushing him to eat something, and was forever straightening his collar and brushing his hair. She was sweet, tender, and affectionate. And Jason was jealous.

Even now, he watched Spinelli fidget as they came to a stop in front of Elizabeth's door. He reached out and knocked before Jason could and continued to fidget, completely oblivious to the enforcer's glare. And when the door opened, his eyes lit up and he was in through the threshold before Jason could pull him back.

"Spinelli, hi," Elizabeth beamed, ushering the two men inside. "I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been? How's work at the coffee shop?"

"I was fired from Sonnybucks," the kid answered apologetically, almost as if Elizabeth was the one he had disappointed when he deleted those delivery schedules. "I have to work for Jason now."

"Poor thing," Elizabeth clucked, smirking at her friend. "Don't work him to death, Jason."

"No promises," he muttered, tempted to biff Spinelli over the head as the young man stared back at him. "How are you? Is – Is the baby okay? Everything okay?"

"Everything's great," Elizabeth smiled back. It was one of those bright, sunny, superficial smiles she always used when she knew she had to be nice but was unsure of how to act. He hated that she felt that way around him sometimes, but he understood. For all Elizabeth knew, he was only interested in her for the sake of the baby and he'd never feel anything for her beyond that. That was exactly what Lucky had yelled right in the middle of the sixth floor at General Hospital, too, before Jason had chased him down and taught him some manners.

And he, in his own ineptness, had been unable to do anything to change her mind. He wasn't too great with words to begin with, and something told him that she wouldn't quite believe him if he started making grand declarations so soon after being told he was the father. He was on dangerous ground and needed to tread carefully.

"You boys eat breakfast yet? I've got….let's see, a few stale donuts and some cereal. Spinelli?"

"He's fine," Jason answered firmly. "He had a Tart-Pop. He doesn't need – hey!"

But Spinelli had already opened up a box of Cocoa Crispies and crammed his hand into the thing and was munching away happily. "What?" he asked around a mouthful of puffed rice. "I'm hungry. And you don't feed me. He doesn't feed me, Nightingale. He just gives me a cup of gruel for the day and locks me in my room."

"Poor baby," Elizabeth clucked absently as she picked up her purse and coat. Across the kitchen, Jason was already planning his housemate's terrible demise. "Steal his hair gel and hold it for ransom – demand a steak dinner at the Metrocourt or something."

Spinelli's eyes lit up as Jason turned around to stare at her. "You don't like the gel either? Score! One more for my global war on gunk!"

"The gel's gotta go," Elizabeth agreed seriously, giving Jason such a studied, assessing look that he felt like a hog being inspected at the town fair. "The long hair's fine, but he overdoes it with the gel."

Treating her hen-pecked friend to her saucy trademark smirk, Elizabeth wrapped her scarf around her neck and turned around. "Cameron! Come on, honey, Mommy's going to be late! Come on out!"

"Coming," they heard her four-year-old yell back, and in a minute he was charging down the hall. "Jason!"

"Hey, bud," Jason grinned, catching the little boy and scooping him up into his arms. Cameron laughed and squirmed as Elizabeth tried to get his arms into his coat. "Boy, you're getting big. Here – let me do that. You wanna put on your coat?"

Elizabeth let go and watched Jason help Cameron into his down jacket. Her son struggled with the zipper so Jason held it for him and let him pull the tab up all by himself.

"You ready to spend the day with me?" Jason asked, tickling the boy's tummy.

"Yeah!" Cameron cheered, pumping his small fists in the air. "Les'go!"

"Not so fast, Mister," Elizabeth chided. "First – mittens. Here." Jason helped Cameron slip his hands into them and adjusted the boy's knit cap. "Second – vitamin. Open. There."

"Way to go, Charlie Brown," Spinelli hooted, slapping high-fives with the toddler. "You ready to go have some fun? Let's go see what Uncle Stone Cold has planned, huh? Better yet," he added, turning to Jason, "why don't you and Peanuts go whoop it up and I'll go to work with Nightingale, go all Grey's Anatomy on everyone's collective butts. What do you think?"

"I think you'd better get down to the car right now," Jason growled, jerking his head toward the door. "Go."

Spinelli made a face at Cameron to make him laugh then said goodbye to Elizabeth before ducking out. Jason let out an exasperated sigh as soon as the kid was out of sight, causing Cameron to once again let out a little laugh. The enforcer's expression softened into a little smirk and he tossed the boy up in the air, caught him, and then slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as the toddler hollered and squealed with glee.

Elizabeth smiled and brushed Cameron's curls out of his face before looking up at Jason. His eyes twinkled with warmth and her smile grew as she gently put a hand on his shoulder and steered him into the hall, locking up behind her.

* * *

"So, what are we gonna do today?" Spinelli asked as he helped secure Cameron into his booster seat. "Skee-ball? Story hour at the library? Underwater basket weaving at the Y?"

Jason ignored him and looked down at Cameron. "Hey, buddy. I need your help on something."

"What, Jason?" he asked, chewing on a cookie that his mother had tucked into his pocket.

"Yeah, what?" Spinelli parroted. "And how come a four-year-old Peanut is more qualified to help than the Jackal? I once hacked into the JFK assassination files, I'll have you know! I executed a fire drill at the CIA from over two hundred miles away!"

"I don't need help getting into _jail_," Jason glowered at the kid. "Now sit and eat that cookie I know you stole from Elizabeth's."

Spinelli pouted but did as he was told, producing a Snickerdoodle from under his beanie. Together, he and Cameron munched and listened.

"Do you know when Christmas is?"

"Not tomorrow," Cameron answered instantly. "It's the day after that."

"That's right," Jason nodded. "Do you like Christmas, Cam?"

The boy nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I gets presents, and Mommy lets me stay up and drink apple cider."

"That's right," Jason repeated. "You get lots of presents, don't you?" He continued, encouraged, when the boy nodded emphatically. "Do you ever get Mommy a present?"

Cameron's brows furrowed as he thought. "I'm not supposed to say – Gram said it was a sup-rise."

"That's okay, you don't have to tell me," Jason assured him. "But that's my problem, bud. I haven't gotten your mom a present yet."

Spinelli's jaw dropped and he let out a loud whooping laugh. "You mean you didn't get her _anything_? Oh, man, are you screwed! Even _I_ got her something."

Jason looked over at him, slowly, stealthily. "What did you get her?"

And suddenly, Spinelli was very nervous. He frowned slightly at Jason, not at all convinced that the mobster wouldn't kill him for the pink scarf, hat and mitten set he'd found in one of the Port Charles boutiques for his favorite Nightingale. "Uh…a never-before-released copy of_ Blood Monolith_ with 3-D gore effects?"

Jason scoffed and turned back to Cameron, who was regarding him curiously. "You didn't get Mommy anything?"

"Nope."

The boy tilted his head to the side, willing to give the older man another chance. "Did you _wanna _get her something?"

"Yeah, I did."

That was good enough for him and Cameron nodded. "Kay."

"But that's where I need your help," Jason persisted. "I want to get your mom something that she would really like – something that would make her smile. Do you think you can help, Cam?"

"Something that makes her smile?" he repeated slowly, his brows once again furrowed in thought.

"Yeah," Jason nodded as the car pulled to a stop in front of Wyndham's. "Do you know what makes her smile?"

The boy thought about it for a long moment and finally nodded, turning to Jason with a cheeky little grin. "I think so."

* * *

"Jason, you sure about this?"

The enforcer tugged on his ear as he and Max watched Cameron and Spinelli run amok through the gigantic wing at Wyndham's dedicated to children's toys. "I thought I was."

"Jason, I found it!" Cameron called, waving gleefully at his babysitter for the day, and Jason and Max exchanged glances.

"Worth a shot," Jason muttered, leading the way over to the two kids as Max followed, making a mental note not to ever take Christmas tips from a toddler. "What've you got there, bud?"

"Chuggin' Charlie," the boy replied, sitting happily astride a little train.

"Dude, these are only the hottest toys this season," Spinelli made sure to inform him. "You'd better get it quick before someone here steals it out from under Peanut's tush. Keep your eye on the lady with the blue hair – I don't trust her."

Max frowned at the patron in question. "She's gotta be eighty years old."

"The older they get, the meaner," Spinelli shrugged, ducking just in time to escape Jason's swift palm. "Ooh, hey! Look – a Chuggin' Charlie conductor's whistle! You like this, Peanut?"

Cameron thought about it for a while and then shook his head. "No. It's too noisy. But this is good. Mommy will love this, Jason."

The enforcer did his best to conceal a smile, but he didn't think he was completely successful. "You sure? This is what Mommy wants for Christmas?"

Cameron nodded, his eyes wide and bright. "Yup!"

Jason just shook his head, amused. "All right, then we're getting it." It was a good thing, too, because he wasn't good with kids' toys and hadn't known what to get Cam, either. And if the little boy had taken such a shining to the train, that was exactly what he'd find under the Christmas tree in the morning.

"Do you think there might be anything else?" he persisted, handing the train over to Max as he and Spinelli took the little boy's hands. "Is there something else we should get her?"

Cameron nodded firmly. "Yes. I'll show you – this way."

With that, he pulled his little hands free of theirs and took off down the aisle with Spinelli on his heels.

"Boss, can I ask you a question?" Max asked hesitantly as they followed the kids.

Jason slid him a sidelong look. "You're going to ask anyway, so you might as well."

Max nodded as they came to a stop in front of the two boys who were now holding up a very large racecar set and looking up at the enforcer with pleading eyes. "Did you really think you were going to get anywhere with this whole thing?"

* * *

"And I want that, too," Cameron announced, pointing at a large pink stuffed bunny that was almost as tall as he was. "And the pony. Mommy likes ponies."

"Bun-bun and Heigh-Ho Silver, Away," Spinelli responded, pointing the two out to the clerks who followed them around and assisted in the shopping experience of one of their most affluent customers. "Check. What's next, Charlie Brown?"

Jason glanced at the toys and animals that practically spilled out over the edges of the shopping carts the two clerks pushed. Pretty soon, they'd need rope to keep it all together. "Don't you think we've got enough?"

"Mommy wants more," Cameron answered simply, and Jason didn't quite have the heart to put an end to the little boy's shopping spree. There was no reason why they couldn't have some fun today for Cameron's sake; he'd find something for Elizabeth later, even if it meant scouring the city until dawn.

"How about this Lego set?" Spinelli asked, pointing to the box on display, but Cameron shook his head.

"You can eat the small parts," he said simply. "And that's bad. Ooh – let's get the rocking horse, Jason! Mommy will love it!"

"I'm sure she will," he murmured, too amused with the little boy's idea to spend in Mommy's name to say anything else.

"Gimme that one," Cameron was saying to Spinelli as he pointed to a large furry blue animal with three eyes sitting next to a many-tentacled feathered thing. "Monsters are scary - we have to have a funny monster."

"Got it, little dude," Spinelli replied, carrying the load himself.

"Can we get that kitchen, Jason?" he asked next, tugging on his pant leg as he pointed to a kid-size kitchen model. "That looks really fun."

"Sure," Jason nodded, making sure the clerks noted it down. "You done, you think?"

Cameron looked back at his newly acquired possessions and thought carefully. "Maybe a little more. I think Mommy wants a _little _more."

* * *

"Stone Cold," Spinelli whined, dragging his feet down the corridor. "I'm hungry. I want to eat."

"You'll eat when I say you can eat," Jason replied absently, frowning at the jewelry that the nervous clerk was piling up in front of him. All of it was wrong.

Spinelli glared at his back and then looked down at Cameron, who had remained remarkably quiet and patient during the past hour that Jason had spent looking at jewelry and other womanly things. He crouched down next to the kid and whispered in his ear, then gave him a little push toward Jason.

Cameron tugged on Jason's pant leg. "Jason? I'm hungee."

That got the mobster's attention. "Okay, bud. I'm sorry it's taking so long. We'll get lunch now, okay? Where do you want to go?"

Cameron, who really wasn't that hungry, didn't quite know what to make of that question so he turned to Spinelli for guidance. His mentor didn't fail and whispered in his ear, "Say Big Al's All You Can Eat Shrimp Buffet."

The boy nodded and tugged on Jason's pants again. "I wanna go to Big Al's All You Can Feet Chimp Buffet."

Jason stiffened at the answer and turned slowly, glaring at Spinelli. "You're not allowed to talk to him anymore."

Spinelli rolled his eyes skyward and collapsed on the tiles, much to the horror of the clerks, and Jason sighed. Waving away the jeweler, he scooped Cameron up into his arms and resisted the urge to step on Spinelli's rib cage.

"Okay, guys. How does pizza sound?"

* * *

"I wish we could do this every day," Spinelli sighed happily, finishing off the last of his cheesy sticks as Cameron slurped up his soda.

"Me, too!" the little boy cheered, making Jason smile. "This was fun. We got so much stuff for Mommy."

Jason smirked. _For Mommy_. That just killed him. Cameron really was his father's son – only a hundred times more likable. And much smarter.

"Can we go to the arcade?" Spinelli wanted to know. "I want to see if Peanut's any good at _Dance!Dance!Revolution_."

"No."

"If you take us, I promise I won't show Nightingale the pictures I have of you shaving your chest hair."

Jason whirled around and stared at the teenager who looked back at him with sweet, innocent eyes. "I hope you like the gift I got you, because this is going to be your last Christmas."

And just like that, Spinelli's eyes lit up. "Dude! You got me a gift?!"

Jason shifted uncomfortably. "I might have."

Cameron let out a disgruntled oomph when Spinelli leaned over him and wrapped his arms around Jason's shoulders, giving him a tight bear hug. "I knew you loved me!"

"If you don't sit your ass down on that seat in the next two seconds, I'm going to shoot you right in front of him," Jason barked, glaring at Spinelli when he finally sat back. The damn kid had made him break two of his own rules – no swearing or mention of the profession in front of Cameron.

"You love me," Spinelli smiled from across the limo.

Jason frowned at him, then looked out the window. "Don't talk to me."

"Jason! Stop! Stop the car!" Cameron yelled out, pointing toward the street. "Look! Balloons!"

And sure enough, they were passing a balloon and card shop. Max glanced in the rearview and Jason shrugged, so he pulled over to the curb.

"Can we go in?" Cameron wanted to know. "Please, Jason? Can me and Pisnelli go?"

"Sure," he sighed, reaching for his wallet and handing a few bills over to Spinelli. "Get him his balloons and then get back here. No going anywhere else, you got me?"

"Don't take Nightingale's son into the strip club two shops down, got it," Spinelli replied as he helped Cameron out of his seat. "Come on, Peanut."

* * *

"I hope he wasn't too much trouble," Elizabeth said, biting her lip as Cameron tried to get out of his heavy winter jacket.

"He was a very good boy," Jason smiled at Cameron before glancing at his other charge. "He could have taught Pisnelli a thing or two."

The boy scowled. "I told you, stop calling me that! Only the Peanut gets to call me that!"

"Whatever you say, Pisnelli."

Elizabeth tried to hold back her laughter as she watched the two interact. Spinelli really did bring out the younger – and by younger, she meant childish – side of Jason. "So you guys had fun? What did you do?"

"It was a top-secret mission," Spinelli announced, saving Jason the trouble of coming up with a plausible fib. "Right, Peanut?"

Cameron grinned brightly. "Right. We can't tell you yet, Mommy."

"That's no fair," Elizabeth replied, plucking the boy's wool cap off his head and tossing it up into the closet. "I want to know."

"You'll find out on Christmas," Cameron told her, grinning at Jason and Spinelli. "You have to wait!"

"Fine, fine," Elizabeth pretended to grouse as the two men lingered in the doorway. "Thank you so much for hanging out with Cam today, you two. He really enjoyed himself, didn't you, honey?"

He nodded seriously. "Thank you, Jason."

"Anytime, bud," Jason smiled back. "Come on, we should be going. I'll – I'll see you at the hospital's Christmas party tomorrow, right?"

"I sure hope so," she smirked back. "Wouldn't be much of a party without you two. Cam and I will both be waiting for you."

Jason nodded, treating her to one of his rare, shy, boyish grins. "Okay."

Next to him, Spinelli shifted his weight from one foot to another as he watched the two of them exchange looks and then Jason was pushing him out into the hall. "Goodnight, Elizabeth."

"I'll see you around, Jason. Bye, Spinelli. Thank you."

"Bye, Jason! Bye, Pisnelli!"

Spinelli waited until the door was shut and they were halfway down the stairs before giving the enforcer a shot in the arm. "Dude, you totally should have kissed her! She was waiting for you to do it!"

Jason stared at him as if he'd sprouted a second head. "No, she wasn't."

The boy rolled his eyes. "I can't believe it – the Jackal has more girly-know-how than Stone Cold. I don't know how to tell you this, man, but you're a legend at PCU – you're a god. And _I_ know more than you? That's just wrong!"

"Just keep walking or I'll push you down the stairs," Jason muttered, quickening his pace and leaving the young man behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

**A Case of the Gimme's**

Spinelli was already awake, washed and dressed by the time Jason got back home the following morning. He looked over from his seat on the couch as his roommate entered and arched a brow.

"Well? Did you find anything for Nightingale?"

Jason's eyes twinkled, either from the cold or from happiness; Spinelli couldn't be sure which. He decided to chalk it up to the cold since Stone Cold was never happy. "Got it right here."

He straightened at the sight of the black velvet box, getting Pop-Tart crumbs all over Jason's couch. "Is that…jewelry? What, just another necklace or bracelet? Way to be original, man."

"It's not just another piece of jewelry," Jason informed him, tossing his leather jacket onto the desk chair and hurrying upstairs to shower and dress.

Spinelli just smirked. "Is it going to make her smile?"

Jason stopped and looked at the young man, and couldn't help but let the corner of his mouth curve upward. "I hope so, kid. Now, make sure you're ready – we leave in twenty minutes. Max!"

The guard poked his head in through the door. "Yeah?"

"Get the car – we're leaving on the hour."

"Actually, Boss," he replied, scratching the back of his head like he always did when he had to go against a request. "I think you two should go with Milo to the hospital. I was actually leaving right now."

Jason frowned at the guard, missing the smug smile on Spinelli's face. "What for?"

Max shifted uneasily. "Well…I promised Elizabeth I'd get there a little early, maybe watch Cam or something. Plus, I wanted to deliver those toys we bought yesterday. Yeah – we've got some stuff to do before the party, so I thought…"

If it was for Elizabeth, he didn't really mind. "Okay, fine, whatever. Just make sure Milo's downstairs in twenty minutes."

"You got it, Boss."

* * *

_At the hospital…_

Elizabeth smiled at Patrick as they both separated at the end of the corridor and headed over to the nurses' station. It was the morning of the big Christmas party and General Hospital looked great. The kids – Dillon, Georgie, Maxie, Diego, Lulu, Lucas, and their friends – had fussed and fought over the tree for hours before finally perfecting it. Lulu had even offered up her mother's angel tree-topper for the finishing touch, and the gesture was much appreciated by the rest of the hospital staff.

The hallways were lined with tinsel and streamers – Georgie's idea. She had announced that the entire hospital should look bright and cheerful, and not just the hubs on each floor. It took lots of extra hours and lots of extra man power – child labor, really – but it worked wonders on the general atmosphere.

Their guests would be arriving soon; some were already in and trickled down the hallways, delivering cookies to the resting patients and poinsettias to the ICU. Alexis, who had been in for her appointment, awaited her daughters and Viola in the lounge and was reading a magazine at the moment. She looked up and caught Elizabeth's eye at the station and waved.

Elizabeth smiled back and set down the charts in her arms before bringing up a few records on the computer screen. Monica entered the nurses' station behind her and picked up her folders, patting her shoulder affectionately before skipping out and heading down the hall. Elizabeth tried to smile, but didn't quite make it.

Ever since she had told Jason that the baby she carried was his, the news had spread through Port Charles like a virus. And now, she couldn't get the Quartermaines off her back. They were always around, always lurking, always smiling and offering her a seat whether she wanted to sit or not. She could practically see visions of the newest Quartermaine heir – monogrammed handkerchiefs and all - dancing in Edward's head whenever the old man crept up on her. And they were always trying to feed her – really, what was up with that?

But they were the Quartermaines, so she suspected she'd never know. All that she could do was hope to get through the pregnancy without having Edward ram ELQ stock reports down her throat so that the baby would have some interesting reading before the due date. And once the baby arrived…well, she supposed that she and Jason could always move to Timbuktu. It was supposed to be nice this time of year.

Cruz Rodriguez had just stepped off the elevator with several other officers, all of them holding brightly wrapped presents for the party. Elizabeth grinned at her ex-husband's partner, who remained a good friend of hers despite the messy divorce, and pointed him over to the giant tree.

"Looking good," Cruz noted, looking around at the decorations. "The kids outdid themselves this year."

"So did the PCPD," Elizabeth replied warmly. "Thank you for the gifts – it's very generous of you. The kids will love them."

"We hope so," Cruz smiled back, resting his elbows on the nurses' station by where she was working. "We brought some puzzles, some Scruff McGruff puppets, model trucks and cars, that sort of thing. So, how are you doing today?"

"Pretty good," she answered. "It's going to be a long day, but it'll be worth it. I've still got rounds to do, and then I want to take Cameron to hear Alan's Christmas story, and then I have to be on hand for the gift distribution and I'll stick around to clean up – I don't want to leave it for the others."

The gift distribution was her favorite part of the hospital party, mainly because it was the part that the children in the terminal wing loved the most. The kids – some of them diagnosed with cancer, some with fatal tumors, even a couple with advanced stage AIDS – were generally restricted to the hospital and greatly enjoyed the trip to the hub to listen to the chief. And the presents that they got during the party – that was the best part. Their entire faces lit up, they laughed, they played, and it was so humbling for Elizabeth to know that she and her colleagues and the rest of the town played a part in that. The extra toys always went to the children's wing, to bring a little happiness and cheer into the dreary and dull hospital corridors where the children lingered, and her only regret was that there never seemed to be enough to go around despite everyone's best efforts.

"We'd be happy to help, too, you know," Cruz offered. "I've got a couple of the rookies with me right now, I'm just breaking them in. We'll stay and help clean up afterwards."

"You're one of a kind, Cruz," Elizabeth smiled warmly. "Why don't you and the boys go get some punch or something before the crowds come in? Sit back, relax. We've still got some time before Alan's story."

"I'll do that," he replied. "You take it easy, Elizabeth. And if you need a ride home afterwards, just come find me."

"Thanks, but that's all right. I've got a ride."

Cruz arched a brow at her. "Let me guess – Jason Morgan. He's actually showing up for this thing? I thought he hated the hospital."

"He does," Elizabeth admitted. "But he wanted to come for me and Cameron."

It was very sweet, actually, and she felt guilty for not really thinking of it that way. Jason only came to the hospital parties long enough to watch Michael and Morgan open presents, and then lit out before his parents or grandfather could see him. Today, he'd promised to stay for the whole thing, just for her and Cam.

"That's…nice of him," Cruz got out, and Elizabeth had a distinct feeling that he almost choked on the words, trying to get them out. "So…you're spending Christmas with him?"

She detected a slight edge to his voice but didn't blame him. He was a close friend of Lucky's and above that, a police officer. He disliked Jason on sheer principle and she knew he didn't want to see her or her son get hurt, so she forgave him without thought.

"Yeah. We're going back to his penthouse after the party, and we're just going to open presents there tomorrow morning and have breakfast together. I'll be at the Brownstone tomorrow night for Bobbie's dinner, so I might see you there."

Cruz nodded and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, you will. But you'll also see Lucky and Lulu, so brace yourself. I'll try to run interference the best I can, but no promises."

Elizabeth had to smile at that. "None expected. Have a great Christmas, Cruz."

"Yeah, you, too," he replied with a smile, backing away from the station. "And…stay safe, okay? Call me if you ever need anything."

Elizabeth didn't bother making any promises she wouldn't keep and instead turned back to her work. Lucky and Lulu would be arriving soon; Lulu was an elf and Lucky hadn't missed a single party since he came to town. That would be fun, but thankfully, she'd have Francis at her side if things got ugly. So far, her plan was just to ignore the two Spencer siblings entirely and have a great time with Cameron, Jason, Spinelli, and the bodyguards.

The elevators rang out and the doors opened, and Elizabeth looked up to see Sam step out onto the sixth floor. Their eyes locked and Sam's involuntarily slid down to Elizabeth's midsection. She was starting to show and had a noticeable bump, and Sam's gaze always made her uncomfortable.

Rather than fake pleasantries, Elizabeth turned her back and busied herself with Epiphany's work. She was ordering her charts when Sam let out a long sigh through her nose and turned toward the lounge to find her mother and let her know that Viola and the girls were on their way.

"Hello, darling." Audrey Hardy was all smiles as she and her great-grandson walked over to the nurses' hub. "Merry Christmas, Elizabeth."

"Merry Christmas, Gram," Elizabeth smiled, rising up on her toes to kiss her grandmother's cheek. "Hey, baby. You ready for the party?"

"Almost," he replied sagely. His dark brown eyes glittered smugly, and Elizabeth couldn't help but remember Zander. The two of them looked so alike when they were up to something. "Is Jason here yet?"

"Not yet, honey," Elizabeth replied. "But he and Spinelli are on their way. They said they'd be here in plenty of time for Mister Alan's story."

"Jason's going to be here?"

The three of them looked up just as Alan entered the nurses' station. "I'm sorry," he added, setting his clipboard down on the counter. "But did I hear you right? Jason's going to be here?"

Elizabeth nodded, plastering a small but sunny smile on her face. "That's right, he said he would be."

"Well, that's certainly good to hear," Alan smiled, crouching down to shake Cameron's hand. "Isn't that good news, Cameron?"

The boy nodded. "Uh-huh. I like Jason."

"Don't let it get out, but so do I," Alan winked, producing a candy cane from his breast pocket and handing it over to the child. "You're going to listen to my story today, aren't you, son? It's going to be a good one, I can promise you that."

"Yes, Mister Alan," Cameron got out around the candy cane. "Me and Pisnelli."

"Excellent," he smiled. "I'll see you in a little while, okay? Elizabeth, dear. Audrey."

"Alan," they replied politely as he left the station. As soon as he was gone, Elizabeth let out a little sigh of relief as Audrey laughed at her.

"Honestly, darling, he was just being nice," she smirked, patting her granddaughter's shoulder affectionately. "Well, Cameron, dear, what do you say we-"

"Ms. Webber?"

The women turned around to see Max standing behind the counter. He wore a heavy wool trench coat with a dusting of snow on the shoulders and smiled shyly. "Hey. I got here a little early to hang out with Cam, if you wanted."

Elizabeth had no idea that Max would be here, so it took her a minute to reply. "Oh – uh, sure, Max, if you want-"

"Max!" Cameron was already making a beeline for the guard, leaving his mother and great grandmother behind. "You're here! Come on, come on, we gots stuff to do!"

"Lead the way, my man," Max replied, taking his hand and letting the child pull him along. "We'll be around, Ms. Webber. We're not going too far."

"Uh, okay," Elizabeth answered, still slightly confused. "Oh – Max! Be sure to have him back in time for Alan's story!"

"No worries," he called over his shoulder before he and Cameron disappeared around the corner.

"What ever was that about?" Audrey murmured. "Those two are as thick as thieves this morning. Naturally, I blame this on your Jason."

Elizabeth had to smile at that. Her Gram always called the enforcer _her Jason_. It was as if Jason The Enforcer was somehow different from Her Jason; as if Her Jason was acceptable and considerate and the hoodlum who killed people for a living was someone else entirely. "Gram, what _don't _you blame on Jason?"

"Well, I haven't blamed him for global warming – yet," Audrey replied smugly. "No, that's because of those hippies."

"Exactly," came a gruff voice behind them, and the two women turned around to see Edward standing by the station. Honestly, everyone was creeping around this morning and it was getting quite annoying. "Hippies – we're losing our culture war to those flower-sniffing, whale-hugging, corn-car Moonies."

Audrey did her best not to roll her eyes but wasn't entirely successful. "Good morning, Mr. Quartermaine. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"To the season, of course," he replied, all charm now. "How are you two doing? Well, I hope. Elizabeth? How do you feel, dear?"

"Good," she replied simply with one of her sunny smiles. If she kept this up much longer her face would crack. "How's everything with you, Mr. Quartermaine?"

"Tsh," he clucked with disapproval. "How many times must I tell you, dear? It's Edward. Or Grandfather if you so desire, hm?"

He thought his little joke tremendously funny and chuckled. "And where's that son of yours? Is he enjoying himself?"

"He's looking forward to the story," Elizabeth nodded. "Thank you so much for stopping by, Mr. Quartermaine. It's always good to see you. But if you'll excuse us-"

"Oh, of course, my dear," Edward replied hurriedly. "I know there's a lot of work to be done. You nurses – always busy. I like that. Merry Christmas, my dear. I'll be seeing you. But right now, I've got to go find my worthless family. They're probably off spiking the punch or something like that. Dreadful business. Good day, Elizabeth, Audrey."

The women waited until he was out of earshot before letting out a unanimous sigh of relief.

"Honestly, that man," Audrey muttered. "The planet he's on hasn't even been discovered yet."

Elizabeth burst out laughing. "Gram, that's the meanest thing I've ever heard you say about _anyone_. Good job."

"Morning, ma'am." A deliveryman rolling along a helium tank smiled politely at her. "Which way to the children's wing?"

Elizabeth pointed in the right direction. "Just through there."

"Thank you," he returned, quickly heading toward the appropriate hallway. "Merry Christmas."

"Goodness, the hospital sure is busy this morning," Audrey sighed, organizing her own charts as Elizabeth scribbled on a notepad. "Deliveries right and left."

"'Tis the season," her granddaughter shrugged. "Do you have Mrs. Cunningham's chart over there, by any chance? I need to check something."

"Here you go, darling."

_"Nurse Nightingale, Nurse Nightingale, report to the elevator, stat, repeat, report to the elevator, stat."_

Elizabeth looked up, surprised, and whirled around to find a beaming Spinelli and an embarrassed Jason by the elevators. "Jason! Spinelli!"

The sheer delight in her voice appeared to put the enforcer somewhat at ease, and he was just about to step over to the nurses' station when his young charge practically bowled him over in his own haste.

"Merry Christmas!" he beamed, throwing his arms around Elizabeth's shoulders and giving her a squeeze. "Happy holidays!"

"Aw, merry Christmas to you, too, Spinelli," Elizabeth smiled, patting him on the back as he rocked her back and forth.

"Okay, that's enough," Jason growled, pulling the boy back when he began to smell Elizabeth's hair. "Go away now."

Spinelli pouted at him but did as he was told until Elizabeth reached out and took his arm. "Not so fast," she ordered, much to Jason's chagrin.

The boy treated his guardian with a superior smile and stood perfectly still as Elizabeth brushed the lint off his dark blue sweater and picked off a few loose threads. "You look very handsome today, Spinelli," she said, plucking his beanie off his head and holding it behind her back when he tried to retrieve it. "Now hold still and let me brush your hair."

The boy sulked in place as she combed his hair back from his face with her fingers and then adjusted his collar and wiped a smudge of chocolate from his cheek. "There," she smiled. "You look like a real boy!"

Spinelli stared at her, and then looked up at Jason. "I think I've been insulted."

"It's about time," he replied dryly, waving the kid away. "Go find something to do. Hit on an elf or whatever. Just get out of here."

"Is Max already here?" Spinelli wanted to know. "Did you see him?"

Elizabeth nodded. "He and Cam are in the kids' wing. I have no idea what-"

"Okay, thanks, bye!" Spinelli interrupted, barely looking back as he took off in the right direction.

Elizabeth frowned and looked up at Jason. "That's the first time he ever wanted to get away from me so badly."

Jason shrugged and took her hand, leading her back over to the nurse's station. "The kid's fickle like that." Elizabeth chuckled and wiggled her fingers in his, and he stroked his thumb over her knuckles. "So, how are you today?"

"We're just fine," she replied, gently settling a hand on her protruding stomach. "Everything's going great."

"Good," he replied slowly. "But how are _you_?"

His repeated question surprised her, since every time he asked how she was he usually meant the baby. "Um, fine, I guess. A little wired. We've got so much stuff to do today; I don't know how we'll get through it all. You sure you're not missing too much by spending all day hanging out here?"

Jason shook his head. "Nothing much to do anyway. This is always a slow time of year. Have the Quartermaines been around today?" He grimaced when she nodded. "What did they do?"

"Nothing," Elizabeth smiled warmly. "They're just…lurking. It's kind of sweet, actually."

"If that's what you have to keep telling yourself," Jason muttered with a shrug, smirking when she lightly smacked his arm. "Has Edward been bothering you?"

"He was around earlier, ranting about hippies," she informed him as they neared the refreshment table. "Other than that, not so much. Want a cookie?"

"You sound like Spinelli," he muttered, reaching for two cups. "I'll have some punch, though. You want some?"

"Sure," she replied, playing with Spinelli's beanie. "You know, I've always wanted a hat like this. Think I could pull it off?"

He looked at her as if she had lost her mind when Elizabeth put the hat on and shook her head. "One Spinelli's enough, thanks. He's already taken ten years off my life."

Elizabeth laughed and took the hat off. "On second thought…"

"Hey!" Jason almost spilled Elizabeth's punch when she reached up and put the hat on his head, adjusting it so that it covered his ears. "Not funny."

"Hold still, one sec," she pleaded, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "Please, Jason?"

She managed to snap a quick picture just as he reached up to hastily remove the beanie. "Now I'll have to get checked for lice."

"Oh, come on, he does not have lice!"

"He's a rabid little chimp – the diseases he has probably haven't even been discovered yet."

"Now you're just being mean," she chided, trying to take the hat back. "Give me that. You're not worthy."

"Worthy?" Jason snorted, holding the hat just out of reach as she tried to grab it. "Of _this_?"

"Give," she ordered, holding out her palm with authoritative dignity before ruining the gesture by jumping up to try to get it. "Hand it over, Morgan."

"That might work on Cameron," he smirked back, wrapping an arm around her waist as he moved the hat behind his back. "But not on me."

_"Especially _on you," she muttered, faking a left and then going right and coming up triumphant. "Ha! See?" She waved the beanie in front of his nose. "I'm a mother now, Jason – you're completely out-matched."

"Keep it," he muttered, too preoccupied now with having her in his arms to care much about the hat – or that he could feel his ex's eyes boring into his back as he stood there with Elizabeth. "Just remember to wash your hands with Lysol afterwards."

"Mean," she muttered, fixing the little hat. "I can't believe you're so horrible to him."

"He knows I don't mean it," Jason answered lightly, taking it from her and pulling it open. He pulled it over her hair and tucked the brim behind her ears, brushing her bangs out of her hair. "And I take back what I said – you can pull it off."

Elizabeth beamed happily, her smile only fading when she saw Lucky get off the elevator with his sister. Jason, noting the change in her expression, looked over to find the oldest Spencer kid glaring daggers at the mother of his child. He snaked his other arm around her waist, pulling her back behind his shoulder slightly.

The motion drew Lucky's attention straight to him, and Jason glowered at the younger man. Lucky scowled and stuffed his hands into his pockets, stomping over to where his partner and colleagues stood by the tree. Lulu, decked out in her elfin gear, slid a somber look in Elizabeth's direction before her gaze flickered up to meet Jason's. He met it evenly and her pursed lips curved slightly. Shoulders slumping slightly, she offered the two of them the tiniest, guiltiest of waves before leaving to find Dillon and Georgie.

"I should probably get back to the station," Elizabeth murmured, pulling away from Jason slightly when she noticed for the first time that they had a captivated – and resentful – audience in Sam.

But Jason resisted and simply took her hand once more. "It's almost time for Alan to read his story," he reasoned. "You're not going to get much done, anyway. We'd better grab a seat, actually, before they're all taken."

Elizabeth nodded absently, brightening when Max appeared with Cameron, who was riding piggyback on Spinelli. "There you boys are. Just in time. Where'd you disappear to?"

"Cameron was just introducing us to all the little GH rugrats," Spinelli answered, gesturing to the gang of terminally ill children that now followed him as if he were the Pied Piper. "Okay, Muppets, story time. Find a place to park your tush."

"He's good with kids," Elizabeth murmured as she watched Spinelli lead the kids over to the carpeted area and prod them to sit.

"He _is _a kid," Jason muttered dryly. "I've been looking into suitable preschools for him."

The brunette rolled her eyes and pushed him over to where the crowd had started to gather. Jason found two empty seats, one for Elizabeth and one for him, and took her hand to lead her over. The Quartermaines, seeing that they'd selected their spot, quickly gathered around behind them just to be close by. Lucky still glowered from his position by the tree and Sam looked as if she'd sucked on a lemon, but neither Jason nor Elizabeth paid them any attention.

Cameron looked up to see where his mother was and happily ambled over to sit on her lap. Spinelli, too, seeing his favorite charge retreat, scooted back until he was seated at Jason's feet. The enforcer deliberated over whether to 'accidentally' kick him in the seat or not, but settled on roughly tousling his hair instead.

Naturally, Elizabeth instantly reached over and smoothed it.

"Hello, boys and girls," Alan smiled, coming up to his gilded armchair with a leather bound book in his hand. "Are you ready to hear the story of our Lord Jesus Christ and the first Christmas in Bethlehem?"

"Yeah!" the children – and Spinelli – cheered. Elizabeth laughed and twined Cameron's hands with her own as Jason, for the first time, sat back and got comfortable.

"Well, you're in for a real treat," Alan promised, gently opening the worn book. "But I should warn you right now that the first Christmas wasn't anything like how we celebrate Christmas today. There weren't any sparkly decorations or Christmas trees; there weren't even any gifts, except one very special baby and three pouches of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

He smiled softly at the children and, in an age-old ritual, flipped carefully to the first page. "Our tale begins with a shepherd on a hill who looked up into the skies and saw the North Star…"

* * *

"Ho, ho, ho! Merrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas!"

Jason couldn't quite contain his smile when his youngest cousin, Dillon, lumbered into the hub dressed up as Santa Claus. The children clambered over to him instantly, swarming around him and barely giving him an opportunity to make it over to his seat. Spinelli took Cameron's hand and pulled the little boy off of Elizabeth and the two went over to see what Santa had for the little boy.

"And this one's for you and this is for you," Dillon was saying as he and Georgie helped distribute gifts to the children. "And my elves over there have something for you. Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!"

"Mix it up a bit, Santa," Lulu teased, handing out little pouches of individually wrapped homemade fudge.

Dillon shrugged. "Happy Kwanzaa! Eid Mubarak! Happy Anniversary of Dean Martin's Death! Blessed Reruns of It's A Wonderful Life! Ho, ho, ho!"

"O Regal One, can I put on some Christmas carols?" Spinelli asked Monica. "We need a bit of atmosphere here."

"Go right ahead," she shrugged, motioning him toward the intercom system at the nurses' station.

Jason frowned as he watched Spinelli hook the system up to the computer and load a copy of Morpheus. "Spinelli – it better not be anything off the _Christmas Goes Punk_ album. Keep it traditional."

"Whatever you say, Stone Cold," the kid obliged, typing away on the keyboard. "All right – here we go! Christmas it up, my fellow partygoers!"

Elizabeth smiled when _Rocking Around the Christmas Tree_ began to play over the speakers. "Oh, Jason, look at them."

Jason, too, had to smile when he saw the children – ill and healthy alike – opening up the gifts Santa and his merry band of elves had distributed. Some brandished new dolls, others stuffed animals and board games. The parents lingered nearby, watching the revelry with bright eyes. For some of them, seeing their children this happy and animated was a rare experience.

"Mommy! Look what I got!" Cameron raced over, his face alight with joy. "Look! Look!"

Elizabeth grinned when she saw the Chuggin' Charlie game – ages 2 and up – in his arms. "Wow, look at that! That looks fun!"

"Can we play it when we get to the pen-house?" Cameron wanted to know. "Can we? Can we, Jason?"

"You bet, buddy," Jason replied. "Want me to hold on to that?"

Cameron nodded and handed it over to him. "And look at what Pisnelli got me!"

Spinelli appeared sheepishly at the little boy's side and shrugged. "It's nothing, really," he said as Cameron handed a smaller box over to his mother.

"_Suikoden II Konami: Colors, Shapes, and Alphabet Game_," Elizabeth read off the box before looking up at the young man. "Is this one of those educational computer games? Oh, Spinelli, you shouldn't have!"

The boy shrugged again, turning bright pink when she kissed his cheek. "It wasn't anything, really. Peanut's gonna have to know that stuff soon, so I thought…I mean, it's no _Valkyrie Profile_, but it's still cool."

"Very cool," Elizabeth agreed, blinking back tears. "Thank you for thinking of him."

"Yeah, but that's nothing compared to what Jason got him," he replied slyly, grinning at first Cameron and then the enforcer.

This confused the little boy and he tugged on Jason's pant leg. "Jason? You got me something?"

Baffled, Jason blinked at the child. "Uh, yeah, buddy, of course I did." A little more than a thousand dollars worth of _something_, actually.

"Really?" Cameron was overjoyed now. "Wow!"

"Jason, you really didn't have to," Elizabeth protested. "We're just happy to spend Christmas with you."

"He got you something, too," Spinelli announced. "But he won't tell me what it is. Can you believe that? Way to not be righteous, dude. I told you what _I_ got her."

Jason rolled his eyes. "You mean _Blood Monolith with extra 3-D gore effects_?"

Spinelli snapped his mouth shut and frowned slightly. "Okay, never mind, so I didn't tell you what I got her – I lied."

"You lied when you told me that?" It was the dumbest thing Jason had ever heard. "Why? Why lie about a gift?"

The young man shrugged. "Well, you were so desperate that I thought you'd steal my gift and write your name on it. So I told you it was something that you wouldn't be caught dead giving her."

"You got me a video game, Spinelli?" Elizabeth asked.

He shook his head. "No, that's just what I told Jason I got you so that he wouldn't tell you he got it for you himself."

"I don't get it."

"That's okay," he assured her as Cameron toddled away to go find Max. "It's not that big a deal. You'll get your gift tonight at the penthouse – I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I think it's the best gift a man ever gave a woman since that Shah Jahan dude got his wife the Taj Mahal. Just sayin'. So, Jason, you gonna give her the gift now? Are you? Huh?"

Jason scowled at the boy. "Not in front of you."

"Oh, come on, Stone Cold," Spinelli whined. "I wanna see. What did you get her?"

"Go get me a cookie," Jason ordered, pointing to the refreshment table. "Better hurry – they're going fast."

That distracted the young man and he was soon off, trying to secure the sweet baked goods for himself and his landlord. Jason shook his head and turned to Elizabeth, who was watching him with amusement.

"Do you really want your gift now?"

Her smile grew into a grin at his exasperated tone. "Yes."

Jason smirked and relented, pulling a small velvet box out of his pocket. "Okay. It's nothing much, but I saw it and I thought…"

"Jason, you didn't have to do this," she said again, reaching for the box. That had become a favorite phrase of hers. "I don't want you spending all this money on me, really. I – oh."

He bit his lip and watched her face intently as Elizabeth picked the bracelet out of the box. "Oh, Jason…"

It was perfect. A simple white gold chain link bracelet dangled from her fingers, glittering under the hospital light. It was fancy, but an understated sort of fancy that she could definitely still wear with jeans every day. The clasp bore her initials on one side and her full name on the other, and a single charm dangled at the bottom with Cameron's first name and date of birth printed neatly.

"It's perfect," she whispered, not even caring that her vision was now clouded and blurred with tears. "Oh, Jason, I…"

"Wow, that's righteous, dude," an interloper remarked, and they looked up to see Spinelli peering down at the bracelet with awe. "It's a charm bracelet, isn't it? And with Peanut's birthday! That's rockin'. When the Nameless One is born, you can get another charm with its name and birthday on it – and there's still plenty of room left for more charms."

He shrugged when Elizabeth and Jason both stared at him. "What? We were all thinkin' it." Winking at Elizabeth, he gave Jason a shot in the arm. "Good job, Stone Cold – major pownage right there. And here's your cookie."

This time, Jason wasn't quick enough to resist the cookie that Spinelli crammed into his mouth and ended up with crumbs all over his chin and shirt. "I'll see you kids later – I've gotta go find Peanut and Mario – Luigi was looking for him earlier, too."

"Excuse me, Mister Morgan?"

Jason looked over his shoulder as Spinelli darted through the crowd and found a strange man extending a hand toward him. "That's me."

"I'm Bart from _Bart's Party Outlet_," he informed him, shaking his hand firmly. "We just wanted to thank you for your business, sir. If you ever need anything for any of your other parties, we hope you'll let us know. It's been a pleasure. Merry Christmas."

Jason frowned, watching as the man headed toward the elevators. He didn't remember ordering anything from the party outlet. Shaking it off, he turned back to Elizabeth who was trying to put the bracelet on her wrist. Gently, he brushed her fingers away and did it himself.

"I love it," she told him softly, watching as he gently fastened the lock. "I can't wait to get the second one put on it. Thank you, Jason."

"Merry Christmas," he murmured, holding her close when she rose on her toes to kiss his jaw. Her arms came to rest on his shoulders and Jason held on for longer than necessary, his chin resting on her head, and only pulled back when someone tugged on Elizabeth's scrubs.

"Mommy!" Cameron anxiously reached for her hand and gave it a yank as Spinelli came darting into the hub from the children's wing. "Come see what Jason got you for Christmas!"

Elizabeth's brows furrowed and she looked at Jason, who looked equally confused. "Baby, Jason already got me a gift, see?" She showed him the bracelet and let him finger it. "Isn't that pretty?"

But Cameron shook his head. "That's not your _real _present, Mommy. Jason got you something better. Come on, come on!"

And before Elizabeth could say anything else, Cameron gave her hand a firm tug and pulled her away from Jason and toward Spinelli. "Come on, you have to _see_!"

Spinelli was apparently in on this, too. "Hey, Muppets," he called, cupping his hands over his mouth. "Come on, guys, let's go see what Uncle Stone Cold got for Nightingale! Come on, move it! Let's go – everyone, come on!"

He watched as Cameron and Elizabeth moved down the hall into the children's wing, followed by the gang of kids and their parents, then the rest of the curious guests, and was still standing there when Jason came up next to him. "Dude, Peanut's done it this time. Come on!"

And with that, he grabbed Jason's arm and pulled him down the hall and around the corner until they stood in the smaller hub of the terminal pediatrics wing, right behind a beaming Cameron and a stunned Elizabeth.

There in the hub stood every single toy that Jason had bought for Cameron the previous day. Max grinned at his employer and shuffled over, having just finished putting the racecar set together. Nearby, Milo was leaning the folded kitchen set box against the wall.

The stuffed animals all sat crowded together on the small red couch that was a permanent fixture in the wing – the pony, the funny monster, the gigantic rabbit. The racecar set had been set up right by the smaller Christmas tree, and the tables were laden with the board games that Cameron had selected. Dolls had been set up near the kitchen set, and there was a little golden coat rack weighed down with funny hats and other dress-up gear. Every other toy – large and small – that had been in their cart now sat in the hub, new and shiny and waiting for the children. The entire wing – hallways and all – was decorated with balloons, and Jason finally understood what Bart had been talking about.

And right in front of him, in the center of the room, was the Chuggin' Charlie train that Cameron had picked out before everything else. Max had even put a red cellophane bow on top of the handlebars.

Cameron grinned up at his mother, who was on the verge of tears. "See, Mommy? Isn't it great?"

"My goodness," Monica murmured, covering her mouth with her hand. "I don't believe this."

Alan took off his glasses and polished them, then put them on again. Next to him Audrey had her hands folded over her heart, as she looked at all the new gifts for the ill children.

Jason's lips had parted in surprise as he stared at the display, and only Spinelli's elbow in the ribs broke him from his trance.

"Pretty righteous, huh?" he whispered, chortling to himself. "He's a good man, that Charlie Brown."

"I-I thought we got all this for Cameron," Jason stammered, keeping his voice low so that he was only talking to Spinelli. "You knew about this? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I found out at the party store," the young man replied. "Cameron walked in with me and the M&Ms and told the dude that he wanted the balloons sent to General Hospital for the sick kids, and that's when we figured out what he was up to."

"So – all of this was for them," Jason got out, letting out a sigh through his nose. "He was telling the truth – he got all of this for Elizabeth." His eyes widened when something else occurred to him, and Jason whirled on the younger man. "That means I didn't get Cameron a single thing!"

But Spinelli waved away his concern. "No worries, Stone Cold. I called Wyndham's last night and had them special-order a Chuggin' Charlie from Sherwood. It's a small town, so they still had some. It'll be under the tree tomorrow morning. No sweat, dude – I got your back."

"Do you like your gift, Mommy?" Cameron wanted to know, looking intently up at his mother while the rest of the spectators began to twitter excitedly. "Jason got _all _of it."

"I love it," Elizabeth whispered, not even bothering to wipe away her tears. "It's wonderful."

"Okay, Muppets, what are you waiting for?" Spinelli asked his loyal little crowd. "These toys aren't going to play by themselves. Go for it!"

The kids didn't need any further encouragement and fairly swarmed the scene. Jason nearly lost his footing in the tidal wave of toddlers and had to scramble to keep upright amidst all the pant-tuggings and _Thank you, Uncle Stone Cold_s he got. The parents, too, offered him their gratitude and followed their children to the new set up. The Quartermaines couldn't quite resist, either, so he got two awkward claps on the back from his father and grandfather.

Cameron met his gaze through the crowd and grinned, causing Elizabeth to look back over her shoulder at him. Jason's breath caught when he saw the happiness in her wet and bright eyes, and he'd barely opened his arms before she was in them, holding him tightly and kissing his cheek.

"You're so wonderful, Jason," she got out, and he could tell that she was still crying. "How did you know? How did you know?"

With her curled up in his embrace, Jason had a clear view of all the children – the ones with leukemia, the ones with tumors in their brains, the ones with the AIDS virus – and their parents playing with all the toys he had thought Cameron had selected for himself. The parents beamed as the kids showed off their new playthings, and members of the hospital staff, the ones who worked with these kids daily and knew how much pain they had to live with, could be seen blinking back tears.

_How did you know?_

Jason couldn't find his voice as his gaze drifted helplessly around the room, finally landing on the one who really had known this whole time. Cameron met his gaze, his eyes glittering just like Zander's used to, and smiled.

**The End.**


End file.
